good tasting apples, few or many
lemon juice, amount depends on how tart the apples are and how many
stick cinnamon (or ground), to taste
small amount of water, just enough to keep it from burning

Wash and quarter apples, cutting out the core. Put in a large pot with the cinnamon and lemon juice and water.

Cover and cook over a medium flame stirring frequently to keep them from burning and sticking. When the apples are getting soft and the skins loosen, you have one of two choices depending on you taste and desired texture:

(1) Strain the whole thing. An old fashioned Foley food mill works well for this. You will have a smooth sauce with this method.

(2) Pick out the skins (this is a hot and messy job, but to me, worth the effort) and put them in the Foley food mill and strain the dickens out of them. Return them to the rest of the apples and you have lumpy applesauce.

The more you make at once the longer the cooking takes and the more care you must take not to burn them. I do a 1/2 bushel in the fall and can it in quart jars. You can do 6-8 apples and have lots less trouble. Extra sauce can be canned while hot or frozen.

Poster's Notes:
The use of the skins adds flavor and color to the sauce. REMEMBER: THE SAUCE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE APPLES YOU USE. They can have bad spots to cut out, but must start with good taste. I like Macintosh for sauce.